Hydroairplane



April-15, 1930. J BROWNE 1,754,220

HYDROAIRPLANE Filed June 18. 1928 FIIT l IN VEN TOR. JHMES 7?. 3/?0 w/vE.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 15, 1930 JAMES R. BROWNE, F EVANSVILLE, INDIANA HYDROAIR-PLAN E Application filed June 18,

This invention relates to a combination vehicle which is adapted for travel on land, in or upon water and in the air.

The chief object of this invention is to produce a device capable of functioning as aforesaid and which includes a very short wing spread.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the peculiar formation of the under-surface of the wing and the complementary formation of the propeller associated therewith.

The full nature of the invention will be un derstood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

Inthe drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a front view of the invention.

In the drawings 10 indicates an undercarriage mounting the usual wheels 11 and the fuselage 12 is diagrammatically illustrated and is shown provided with a buoyant or lighter than air center board 13 trailed by a caster wheel 14. The caster wheel may be swiveled through the same control as the rudder 15, said control being shown and indicated at 16. Thus the device is able to be steered upon land, in the water or in the air. If desired, the under carriage 10 may be buoyant, or lighter than air.

The rear of the fuselage supports the vertical rudder 17 and 18 suitably controlled by mechanism indicated diagrammatically at 19. Each wing 20 is of the general character substantially conforming to that of a dove, that is, it is pitched downwardly and rearwardly and is flared outwardly and rearwardly and each wing terminates in a movable vane 21 suitably controlled by mechanism indicated diagrammatically at 22. Each wing construction merges into the body or fuselage and forms a channelled surface 23 therewith.

Mounted in this groove is a spiral buoyant propeller having the lighter than air body portion 24 and the spiral vanes 25 thereon which are suitably pitched as illustrated. The propellers are mounted fore and aft in bearing brackets 26 and are driven through a common drive diagrammatically illustrated at 27 connected tothe airplane engine which is medianly mounted and the power shaft 1928. Serial No. 286,091.

thereof is indicated at 28. The particular arrangement of the two propellers with the en gine therebetween is specifically disclaimed.

The propeller body is substantially cigar shaped with its greatest width near the head end and the vanes gradually decrease in width, also as does the pitch of the curved channel 23. The two propellers revolve outwardly and oppositely and carry the air upwardly and outwardly beneath the wings and rearwardly and thus utilize to the maximum degree the lifting area of the wings, and intermediate fuselage.

The buoyant medium included in the member 13 and the propeller body 24 preferably will be helium or hydrogen may be employed as desired. The water line, when the plane is operating in water, should be about on the level of the underside of the fuselage from the rear of the wing to the end thereof. While traveling on land the device is maintained in the same position. "While traveling in the air, however, the device is pitched at a slightly different angle.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a plane of the character described, the combination of a fuselage, a tapered and spiralled vaned propeller at each side of said fuselage and tapered rearwardly, and a wing constructionextending outwardly, rearwardly and downwardly adjacent each of said propellers.

2. A device as defined by claim 1, characterized by each propeller including a rearwardly tapering buoyant body portion supporting the vane.

3. A device as defined by claim 1, characterized by each of said wings merging into the fuselage and forming a rearwardly directed arcuate channel, the air being forced upwardly and sidewardly as well as rearwardly in each channel by the prop eller there- 1n 4. A device as defined by claim 1, characterized by each of said wings merging into the fuselage and forming a rearwardly directed arcuate channel, the air being forced upwardly and sidewardly as well as rearwardly in each channel by the propeller therein, said propeller including a rearward- 1y tapering buoyant body portion mounting said vane. V

5. A device as defined by claim 1, characterized by the addition of a depending, substantially vertical buoyant center board and rudder land landing gear.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature.

I JAMES R. BROWNE. 

